2017 BMW Motorrad G 310 R launch review

The 313cc single-cylinder G 310 R is BMW Motorrad's first intentional foray into Australia’s learner-legal market. Yes, it has built learner-legal bikes before, the G 650 GS Sertao for example, but that was simply an added bonus and not a deliberate move.

All that aside, why a small-capacity four-stroke single, when Australia LAMS laws allow up to 660cc bikes with the right power-to-weight ratio? It’s a ‘global’ model, that’s why. Australia is just one of many markets this bike will be sold in. BMW says Australia is what’s called a ‘saturated’ market, where big bikes rule and the purchasers tend to be over 40 years old.

While I’m sure the G 310 R will be a good seller in Australia, BMW sees the real sales hot spot for it being in ‘emerging’ markets like South America and Asia, where relatively new wealth will see buyers flock to the little BMW, partly as a status symbol of course, and also with a perception of build quality.

BMW hopes to attract 20-something movers and shakers to the brand in Australia, hopefully leading to bigger BMW things in the garage when they ‘outgrow’ the 310. It also expects some returning riders will also find the 310 an attractive prospect.

G 310 R SPECS AND PRICING IN BIKE SHOWROOM

Some curry with your Sauerkraut?
Designed in Germany, built in India is the reality of this joint venture between BMW and TVS, the Indian company chosen to be a partner in the G 310 R experience. TVS builds huge numbers of small-capacity motorcycles and scooters, most of which you’ve probably never heard of but which are big sellers in emerging markets.

Why exactly BMW chose TVS to build the bikes certainly must come down to economics. Some might picture a squalid building with bikes trundling down an antiquated production line, being built out of parts with questionable materials.

But, BMW has confirmed a cutting-edge factory, based on the best BMW factory in Germany, has been knocked-up especially to build the G 310 R, and other new designs the pairing will come up with in the near future. BMW has probably always known there’s profits to be had on deep, dark continents around the world but has never really explored them. The time is now apparently.

I did wonder if this bike was an Indian design, which BMW had procured somehow but no, it’s is a clean sheet design from Germany. There were some issues with parts during the testing phase but these were redesigned, and a reason why the launch of the bike was delayed.

What makes it tick
What exactly makes this bike tick? What are the ‘numbers’? On face value you can see a resemblance to larger bikes in BMW’s ample stable. Some saw an essence of the S 1000 RR in there, where I saw the R 1200 R. Whatever, the lines and the colours are distinctly BMW.

The real interesting point here is the engine. It uses the reverse head layout which has been around for decades but brought back into prominence by Yamaha on its YZ450F a few years ago. The airbox and injection sit forward of the engine while the exhaust runs directly out the rear.

BMW argues this is all about better performance and better ‘weight centralisation’. In reality it’s more about a point of difference. And that’s very BMW. And that’s cool. As long as it works well, then who cares where the exhaust pops out of, especially on a LAMS bike.

The 313cc engine has been designed more for torque than outright power. And that outright power is 34hp at 9500rpm. To me torque is the most important thing for a road bike, or car for that matter. What did old Enzo say? ‘Power sells cars. Torque wins races.’ Something along that line anyway.

Now this bike uses just over three litres of go gas per 100km. Just what most learners want, seeing as though they will be on a shoestring and more intent on spending their cashola on wine or beer at some bohemian establishment? That almost seems an impossibly small amount of fuel usage, but then I am used to riding much more potent motorcycles. It has been a long time since I was a learner.

And just so you know, the conditions at which these figures were achieved are run to a world standard test over a variety of conditions. Will you achieve the same fuel usage figures if you have it tapped down the Hume Freeway hour after hour? Unlikely.

After that, the rest of the bike features are fairly basic. Kayaba suspension offers no adjustment other than preload on the rear shock. This will only matter if you think you are Marc Marquez. Small bikes by their very nature aren’t usually as sure-footed on rougher surfaces as larger bikes.

Like cars, the longer the wheelbase the better the ride, generally speaking.
BMW knows this. If you’ve ever ridden in one of its 7 series luxo executive carriers then you will understand where I’m coming from. The answer of course is to fit a longer than normal swingarm to the G 310 R. Not to stop it from wheelstanding, to give it a ‘plusher’ ride.

Another couple of things for learner riders to consider are the bolt-on rear subframe and ABS brakes with braided stainless steel brake lines. If you’ve managed to end for end the G 310 R and only bent the rear subframe you’ll be happy to know the insurance company might not write the bike off, and you may not be an insurance risk for the rest of eternity. You know how insurance companies are with these sorts of things. Hopefully the ABS has stopped this unfortunate event before it happens and your life will not be ruined.

Impressive kick off
The ride phase of the test saw me impressed with the torque of the engine. It did exactly what BMW said it would. Straight away I got the bike into sixth and found a big hill to test the torque. It breezed up the incline and felt like a bigger bike than a 313cc single in more ways than one.

At 185cm I am tall for a ‘normal’ LAMS machine and don’t exactly boast the same waist measurement I did when I was a learner myself. Aah, the days when I looked good in Levis and didn’t need a cap to protect my bald bonce.

I digress, so back to the ride. I had more than enough room to feel comfortable and not feel or look like a greyhound fornicating with a tennis ball. Standard seat height is 785mm by the way, but you can get a ‘low’ version which is 10mm lower, and a ‘comfort’ version which sits the rider at a lofty 815mm.

Around town the bike is very easy to ride, the single front brake more than capable of emergency stopping – even if it does lack a bit of feel. Suspension wise it felt compliant; not really budget until you pushed it harder on the open road.

And when we did get outside town limits the bike cruised easily at 100-110km/h. It felt quite safe battling with the tailgating tradies in overgrown utes and parents intent on getting their offspring to school with scant regard to anyone else’s safety. I felt ‘empowered’ on the G 310 R in traffic.

So we’ve established that the bike has a ‘big’ feel to it, relatively speaking. We’ve also established it is powerful enough to cope with everyday traffic, even on freeways if need be, and that you can actually be a little lazy when you ride it. There’s no need to rev the quince out of it so to speak.

Temptations
I’m not advising anyone to belt along country lanes in a more than vigorous way. But I found myself thinking: could the bike be ridden in such a way? Should it be ridden in such a way, and do I have a moral obligation not to ride a LAMS motorcycle in such a fashion.

Thankfully I am morally bankrupt and in the interests in testing a motorcycle and not just believing the manufacturer’s PR nattering, I felt I must do the right thing and see how fast this bike could actually be tempted to achieve.

The next thing you know I was on a top speed test – one I did not initiate by the way. What is the top speed of this bike you ask? Over 150km/h, according to BMW insiders. I can confirm this is accurate.

And how did the suspension cope with such essential testing? Quite well, in fact. It’s no S 1000 RR, even though there’s some styling licence there, but overall the bike ‘handled’ what I threw at it. A couple of corners I did attack at perhaps too hot a pace, and my undies were sucked a little ‘inboard’ – but I survived.

Then it was off to the track. Yes, BMW Australia took us to a race track to test a LAMS bike. We all thought the same thing as you are right now, but as it turned out there was some method to its obvious madness. And this is where it becomes sort of like a story within a story.

It was during this period that I did indeed find the limits of the tyres and suspension on the G 310 R. Out of one corner the tar was a little broken up, and with my less than judicious mashing of the throttle the rear tyre broke traction and didn't cope so well with the broken tar. The tyre moved about an inch but it felt like a metre. To the bike’s credit, this only occurred a couple of times, and when I was smart enough to miss that particular part of tar it never happened again.

Positive signs
It was very hard to fault the little learner Beemer on the track, a place that isn’t its spiritual home. The brakes worked well on the tight supermoto track, as they didn’t have to contend with continued high-speed braking. With great torque for a small engine, it was easy to ride quick, and considering they got absolutely flogged all afternoon on the track there were no signs of poor build quality or any complaints from other testers. The bike is great for what it is. It’s also very solidly built.

Before you older riders looking for a comeback dismiss this machine, think about this. I recently had a lengthy ride on an early ’80s Yamaha RD350LC. There were four of us, on older small-capacity bikes, but with bikes with similar power and weight as the G 310 R.

All of us are very experienced, and used to riding much larger high performance machinery. What a day we had, blasting through the countryside, riding with vigour and giggling like simpletons. BMW’s G 310 R could easily be that bike.

It reminded me of the fun I had that day and if you want a well-priced bike to make you feel young again, like your waistline was smaller and your hair thicker, then you should really look at the G 310 R. You really should. And when you’ve regained your confidence you can have a crack at the S 1000 RR or another of BMW’s great machines. You’ve got plenty of credit at your age.

I think BMW is on a winner with the G 310 R. It is a fine machine, well built and well priced in its market sector. And more importantly, it has two other virtues to attract buyers: the propeller shaft on the badge, and the amount of fun the prospective buyer will have in their first test ride. And the cost you ask? $5790 plus on-road costs.